A Jewish Rabbi is pointing to the blood moons as having Messianic prophetic significance:

Rabbi: Blood moons mean ‘messianic advancement’

The “blood moon phenomenon” has been the talk of the Christian world in 2014 and 2015, as four lunar eclipse tetrads all occurring on biblical holy days occur within 18 months, the last of which happens Sept. 28 on the Feast of Tabernacles.

But now a scholarly Orthodox rabbi from Brooklyn affirms this series of blood moons is serious spiritual business, because each one brings the world closer to the advent of the messiah.

“Each one of these is a messianic advancement,” says Rabbi Mendel Kessin. “There are incredible events that predate the messiah.”

Kessin says that normal lunar eclipses, that give the appearance of the moon turning blood red, signal bad news for Israel and the Jewish people. However, he says, those that occur on biblical holy days – such as Passover and Sukkot or Tabernacles – represent good news for them. …

If you think Kessin sounds like some Hebraic roots Christian teachers, like Pastor Mark Biltz, who discovered the blood moon phenomenon in 2008 and authored the bestselling book, “Blood Moons,” and wrote a documentary movie of the same name, and messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Harbinger” and “The Mystery of the Shemitah,” you’re not alone.

Kessin, who holds has a Ph.D. in psychology from Fordham University and is a noted lecturer on Jewish philosophy in the U.S., Canada, South Africa and Israel, also sees significance in the recent U.S. deal with Iran over nuclear weapons.

There is an 800-year-old rabbinic commentary known as Yalkut Shimoni, which he translates: “Paras (Persia-Iran) will be the dread of humanity. The world’s leaders will be frustrated in their futile efforts to save what they can, but to no avail. The people of Israel will also be petrified by the impending danger. And HaShem (God) will say to us, ‘Why are you afraid? All of this I have done in order to bring you the awaited redemption. And this redemption will not be like the redemption from Egypt, which was followed by suffering. This redemption will be absolute, followed with peace.’” …

“We have now entered the countdown to the messiah, which is unbelievable,” Kessin said.

He cites the Book of Joel, which says: “The sun shall turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, prior to the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” (Joel 3:4) “Based on [that verse], based on what’s happening, something awesome seems to be in the works. Fascinating!”

So the fact that the US stock market went down, then back up last week is some type of ‘proof’ that ‘blood moons’ are prophetically significant according to Mark Biltz? Not only is that illogical, there is no biblical basis for it.

What about the claims of the Jewish Rabbi? (I use the term ‘Jewish Rabbi’ in contrast to simply ‘Rabbi’ as Messianic Jews, like Jonathan Cahn also use the term rabbi.)

While it is true that there is a prophecy in Joel and it does tell of the moon appearing as blood and it is related to Messianic prophecies, the reality is that the blood moon spoken of by Joel DOES NOT OCCUR UNTIL YEARS AFTER THE START OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION.

In the Book of Revelation we read:

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. (Revelation 6:12-15)

The events involving the moon turning into blood are also tied into with the sun becoming black. I have not seen any of the blood moon proponents claim that the sun was to turn black related to this in either 2014 or 2015.

While some seem to believe the reference in Revelation and/or Joel is some type of normal eclipse, it would seem to be more than that. Notice that those occur after the sixth seal is opened, which is after the opening of the fifth seal (Revelation 6:9), which is the start of the Great Tribulation, which has not started yet and cannot start until at least 2018 (see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?).

Now, one interesting item from the Jewish Rabbi Dr. Kessin was that he is pointing to Jewish tradition that a time of peace will come, and he is tying this in with the deal with Iran. I have speculated that a temporal peace deal, like the one related to Daniel 9:27 (see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), could come after a regional war involving Iran, Israel, and possibly Syria and/or the USA. The existence of the Jewish tradition may incline the Jews to accept a timed peace deal which will NOT turn out well for the tiny nation of Israel (cf. Daniel 9:27; 11:31).

As far as blood moons go, I remain of the view that the blood moons are not significant the way many promoters of them have claimed. The blood moons of 2014 and 2015 are a natural, not supernatural, phenomena. Yet, the Messianic Jew Jonathan Cahn has claimed that the September 28, 2015 blood moon signals ‘global collapse’ (see Blood Moons and Prophecy). While there likely will be items of prophetic interest next month and perhaps financial setbacks, that will not be the end (see also The ‘Harbinger’ and September 2015).

Those who believe the next blood moon is of biblical significance are being misled. Those of us who believe the Bible have the “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV). But some who are looking at some Protestant and/or Jewish teachings and traditions are overlooking various facts and what the Bible really teaches.

It remains my view that false predictions, by Protestants and others, turns people off on prophecy (cf. 2 Peter 2:1-2). But the Bible is still true, despite wrong misunderstandings about it.